Tag Archives: The Smithsonian

Among the 10,000 species of plants found in Panama are about 1,200 varieties of orchids, 1,500 types of trees and 678 different ferns. The Smithsonian Institute of Tropical Research has been studying plants and wild life in Panama for over 80 years now and has established several major research centers there. The Institute’s research center in Isla Galeta in Colon is conducting valuable studies of mangrove habitats, coral formations and the 22 species of tropical birds found on this island. These studies assist the authorities in Panama in monitoring and preserving the Republic’s Caribbean coastline, which shelters diverse marine creatures……